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Running Wild

I Just thought I’d take the opportunity to update the blog with how things are going on the running front. As usual there is some good and some bad (life in balance huh?). I’ll cover the bad first. The bad is my motivation levels. I’ve really been struggling to get motivated to run over the last week or so. I have been running but both the frequency and mileage has taken a hit and there has been more than one occassion where I seem to have struggled to get my ass out of the door and get moving. This lack of motivation is worrying as I’m meant to be training hard to beat my PB at the Weymouth 10 miler in a couple of weeks.

I think this dip in motivation is caused by a combination of adjusting to the dark nights and miserable weather and also adjusting to a more hectic and busy schedule at home now both the girls are back on respective school timetables and shifts patterns. I’m sure I’ll get past this slump soon but it is frustrating and tiring. On a positives note though when I have been out for a run I’ve found my average pace seems to be increasing. It looks like the long slow miles over the summer have indeed increased by aerobic efficiency. woohooo!

The other slightly bad news (although expected) is that I did not get a ballot place for the London Marathon next year. Booo! The odds were never in my favour though so I’ve put plan B into operation and yesterday posted my application to enter the North Dorset Village Marathon instead. Hopefully this will be the momentum I require to keep me getting out and training through the winter months. I do have a course I am attending for work in London at the end of this month so am planning to at least get at one shorter run in our capital city added to my log.

The good news (which kind of explains the picture above) is that I have managed (completely accidentally) to get a much coveted place in next years Grizzly! The Grizzly is a rather mental multi-terrain, hill, beach and bog infested 20-ish mile run around the Devon coast. It looks and sounds completely crazy but lots of fun. Places sold out in under 3 hours and I think I snapped up one of the last few remaining. This runs in March and although more of a fun/completion orientated event rather than a time target type affair (for me anyway) it will again give me more reasons than ever to get out over the winter, get wet, cold, muddy and tackle some hills. This years Grizzly is sub-titled ‘Grime and Punishment’. I can’t wait!

I also realised this week that I’ve now clocked just over 700 logged running miles so far this calendar year. The original plan was to hit 1000 miles before the end of the year. I’m not sure I’ll reach that now as the likelihood of getting decent weekly mileage in every week between now and the end of Decmeber taking into account bad weather and Christmas festivities is not good. I shall try and get as close as I can though and am already pretty proud of what I’ve achieved in my first full calendar year of running. It should be a doddle next year….right? lol

So how are your fitness plans going? What are you doing to adjust and keep you motivated for the winter months? Let me know in the comments.